Number of expats in UAE private sector rose by 1 million in 2008, says ministry

Approximately four million people were employed by the private sector in 2008, half of which were construction workers, said the Minister of Labor, Saqr Saeed Gobash at a Dubai Economic Council (DEC) meeting, reports Gulf News.

It is difficult to determine the number of expatriate workers today due to the number of employees fleeing the country.

Gobash said the number of expatriates in 2008 rose by almost one million, from 3.113 in 2007 to 4.079 million in 2008. He also said that the percentage of nationals in the private sector is roughly 0.36 in 2007 and 2008. In 2006, only 0.25 percent worked in the private sector, he explained.